I just wanted to let you know how distressed I am by the constant increase in the facility charge and I would like to know precisely why this is happening. My husband and I are both mostly retired – I sell on eBay part time – and we are sincerely distressed as we watch our bills go up month after month, while we struggle to use, and succeed in using, less electricity. Please check my account and you will see exactly what I am talking about!

My understanding is that this facility charge will continue to increase for a number of years and I estimate it will top out for us, with our usage, at around $300 a month. Which is more than I pay for my mortgage. Something is wrong here. And this “revenue recovery add-on”? Do you not have accountants? Are you not able to accurately project your expenses? That charge simply adds insult to injury!

The current facilities charge of $38.90 is extortionate. I did some online research and found that most co-op’s facility charge is set and does not increase over time. Most charges that I saw were in the $15 to $30/month range. Why is our already so high and still increasing? Surely the population in the islands is not decreasing! How am I supposed to afford this never-ending increase on a fixed income, when your charges are not fixed?

Jolie Wheeling

Friday Harbor